TN House Speaker leads walk to promote healthy eating

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- House Speaker Beth Harwell is helping a group address the lack of access to healthy foods in low-income Tennessee areas.

On Wednesday, the Nashville Republican is expected to lead representatives of the Tennessee Obesity Taskforce on a walk from Legislative Plaza in downtown Nashville to a local urban market to illustrate the difficulties Tennesseans living in so-called food deserts have buying healthy foods.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a food desert is a low-income census tract in which a substantial number of residents have low access to a supermarket or large grocery store. That means they may also have little access to healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

In 2010, the task force released a statewide nutrition and physical activity plan designed to reduce obesity and chronic disease in Tennessee.